Minutes, IBIS Quality Task Group

8 December 2020

11:00-12:00 EST (08:00-09:00 PST)

ROLL CALL

Achronix Semiconductor:             Hansel Dsilva
Intel Corp.                         Michael Mirmak
Mentor, a Siemens Business          Arpad Muranyi
Micron Technology                 * Randy Wolff
Signal Integrity Software:        * Mike LaBonte
SPISim                              Wei-hsing Huang
Teraspeed Labs:                   * Bob Ross
Zuken USA:                        * Lance Wang
SAE ITC                             José Godoy

Everyone in attendance marked by *

NOTE: "AR" = Action Required.

-----------------------MINUTES ---------------------------
Mike LaBonte conducted the meeting.

Call for IBIS related patent disclosures:

- None

Call for opens:

- None

Review of previous meeting minutes:
Minutes from the December 1 meetings were reviewed.
Lance Wang moved to accept the minutes. Bob Ross seconded the motion.
Without objection the minutes were accepted.


ARs:
- Mike to send BUG214 draft 8
  - Done
- Randy Wolff to send updated IBIS-ISS example
  - Done
- Bob Ross to add updated IBIS-ISS example to BUG214 and post
  - Done


New parser bugs:
Bob Ross reported there were no new bug reports.


IBIS-ISS parser:
Bob Ross said there had been no feedback from Atul about the request for estimate sent
to him.  Mike LaBonte asked if there should be an ibischk release for just BUG214,
or if the new BIRDs should be included.  He recalled that ibischk7.0.0 was released
well after the passed of IBIS 7.0, even though we had developed ibischk6.1.4 to
get bug fixes out of the way in advance.  Mike hoped to be prepared to have a new
ibischk7.1.0 soon after the passage IBIS 7.1.  Randy Wolff said complexity made the
development of ibischk7.0.0 take longer.  Bob added that it typically takes several
development iterations before we have a final parser ready for release.  Randy said
he was in favor of an early development limited to BUG214, and maybe some BIRDs.
He noted we had no other bug reports to fix.

Randy showed his recent summit IBIS Chair's report presentation.  Three BIRDs were
clarification BIRDs, requiring no change to ibischk.  Nine were functional. Bob noted
that BIRD208 was missing from the list.

Lance Wang asked about the funds available for two parser developments.  Bob said we
raised $33,000 from 11 parser source sales last time, and our account balance was more
than usual.  Mike suggested beginning development of ibischk7.1.0 soon, ahead of IBIS
7.1 ratification.  Randy agreed, suggesting that we write a document to scope out the
work for that.  Bob said we could ask the developer to provide an estimate based only
on the list of BIRDs.  The project would be considered completed only when IBIS 7.1
was ratified.

Bob said we had a Touchstone 2.0 bug to work on.  Randy asked how Touchstone 2.0 would
change.  Bob said it was needed to check Touchstone files encountered during parsing.
Mike suggested having ibischk7 call tschk2.  Bob said tschk2 would report the number
of ports, and that needed to be checked against the places where Touchstone files
were invoked in IBIS.  He suggested that tschk2 code might be embedded into ibischk7.
Mike had concerns about that, saying the code bases differed in a number of ways.
He said it should only be necessary for ibischk to run tschk and receive the output text.

Randy showed a Touchstone converter tool.  This was used by his company to reduce
Touchstone files to 25% of original size.  Mike said some Touchstone files were very
large, and he recalled that it could overwhelm some computers.  Bob said Brad Brim
had run a test and found no major issues with that.

Bob said a new bug report would be needed to link Touchstone checking to ibischk.
He described 4 possible parser projects:

1 IBIS-ISS parsing
2 tschk2 linkage to ibischk
3 New BIRDs
4 tschk2 bug fixes

Bob said adoption of Touchstone 2.0 was not going well.  Mike believed sufficient
enhancements to Touchstone 1.x had been implemented already by many, using side files
to carry the information added to Touchstone 2.0.

Randy said if payment for ibischk7.1.0 had to wait until IBIS 7.0 was passed, it could
take a long time before the developer was paid.  Mike suggested making an interim
payment for partial completion in that case, noting that that had been done in the past.
Bob said the developer had not been requiring interim payments.  Randy said we should
make the terms clear up front.  Bob said any mistakes requiring BIRD changes would
require us to take the risk of paying for rework.

AR: Bob Ross to ask ibischk developer for estimates for BIRD work

Mike asked what ibischk changes were needed for BIRD204.  Randy felt a new parameter
had been added.

AR: Mike LaBonte to examine BUG204 for parser impact.


Tabled topics (no discussion without motion):
  - BIRD181.2

Randy Wolff moved to adjourn. Randy Wolff seconded. Without objection the meeting ended.

Meeting ended: 12:00 ET

Next meeting December 15, 2020
